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By N. Economou

Temporary local seismic networks were installed in western Crete, in central Crete, and on Gavdos, an island south of western Crete, in order to image shallow seismically active zones of the Hellenic subduction zone. Data acquisition was divided in four campaigns through the years 1996 to 2001. More than 4000 events in the magnitude range between 0.5 and 4.8 were detected and localized. The resulting hypocenter distribution allows the localization of seismically active zones in the area of central Crete from the Mediterranean Ridge to the Cretan Sea. The comparison of the hypocenter distribution and the structure has allowed intraplate and interplate seismicity to be distinguished. A southwards dipping zone of high seismicity within the Aegean lithosphere is found south of central Crete in the region of the Ptolemy trench. Between 20 and 40 km depth beneath central Crete, the Aegean lithosphere appears to be seismically inactive. Especially for the year 2001, 1560 events were localized, by the seismic network installed on Messara, central Crete. Most of the seismic events were located, as expected, in the South region of central Crete. National Observatory of Athens (NOA) maintains a permanent seismic network in Greece. In this work a comparison of the earthquake epicenters obtained from both the NOA network and the BOCHUM-TUC network is presented.

Jan 1, 2006

By FLOYD T. TAYLOR

IN 1833, less than one hundred years ago, Michael Faraday discovered and stated the laws of electrolysis. His discovery formed the foundation of a new use of metals which has now reached a variety of application not ordinarily appreciated. Furthermore, things can be done with electro-deposited coatings which have thus far defied other methods. Some of the uses of electro-deposited coatings are interesting. The tonnage of metals already finding an outlet through such a channel is considerable. In general electro-deposits have two characteristics: ornament plus utility; utility plus ornament. Both these factors are usually found associated in electro- deposits. Ornament plus utility was probably the first use. For example, the silver-plating of tableware, having its real birth in Birmingham, England, about 1844. However, this same ornament plus utility retarded the development of electro-plating, because in the beginning, electro-plated articles were branded with the odium of imitation and shunned accordingly. The gold brick of the swindler may be an exception to this statement.

Jan 1, 1929

By W. A. Bruce

Studies of reservoir behavior of 12 Smackover limestone oil and condensate pools are presented. Buckner, Midway, McKamie, Magnolia, Mt. Holly, Schuler (Reynolds) and Village are treated in considerable detail and subjected to analysis with an electrical device for analyzing reservoir behavior. Results and comparisons of these analyses are presented. In addition to these reservoir-behavior studies, an attempt is made to assemble trans-missibility and storage data on the Smackover limestone formation from cores and logs taken in dry holes and producers. This together with the behavior of individual reservoirs leads to a better understanding of the formation as a porous aquifer. The ultimate purpose of this type of study is to improve predictions concerning the future behavior of these pools in such a system. Predictions are presented for several pools. Introduction In 1937 the Phillips Petroleum Co. drilled its J. D. Reynolds No. I to the Smackover limestone formation at Snow Hill, Arkansas. This well found oil in the porous, permeable, upper part of the Smackover, thereafter referred to as the Reynolds lime. Since then, six oil pools and six condensate pools have been discovered in the Reynolds lime, and more than 75 dry holes have explored parts of this formation. By the first of 1943, 44 million barrels of oil and 83 billion cubic feet of gas had been withdrawn from the various reservoirs. The original reserves estimated by the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission were 342 million barrels of oil and rzoo billion cubic feet of gas. So far all of the production has been from anticlinal structures, most of which are asymmetric and have their axes roughly perpendicular to the dip of the formation top. This is indicated in Fig. I, which shows the pools, dry holes drilled, and contours on top of the Smackover.' These pools are of particular interest for reservoir-behavior studies because the production and drilling has been controlled, and in most cases the records of reservoir data are complete. In addition to the excellent production and pressure information available, more than one half of the wells drilled were cored and all of them were electrically logged. All of the pools show evidence of water drive. While this paper is in a sense a collection of reservoir-behavior studies for several different pools, there has been an attempt to go one step further and to show the importance of the iormation as a porous continuum or a single aquifer in which the withdrawals of fluids from any pool has an important effect on the behavior of all of the pools. An effort will be made to show that the water drives of these pools are dependent upon a much larger area of the Smackover limestone than that occupied by the petroleum accumulations.

Jan 1, 1944

By W. A. Bruce

Studies of reservoir behavior of 12 Smackover limestone oil and condensate pools are presented. Buckner, Midway, McKamie, Magnolia, Mt. Holly, Schuler (Reynolds) and Village are treated in considerable detail and subjected to analysis with an electrical device for analyzing reservoir behavior. Results and comparisons of these analyses are presented. In addition to these reservoir-behavior studies, an attempt is made to assemble trans-missibility and storage data on the Smackover limestone formation from cores and logs taken in dry holes and producers. This together with the behavior of individual reservoirs leads to a better understanding of the formation as a porous aquifer. The ultimate purpose of this type of study is to improve predictions concerning the future behavior of these pools in such a system. Predictions are presented for several pools. Introduction In 1937 the Phillips Petroleum Co. drilled its J. D. Reynolds No. I to the Smackover limestone formation at Snow Hill, Arkansas. This well found oil in the porous, permeable, upper part of the Smackover, thereafter referred to as the Reynolds lime. Since then, six oil pools and six condensate pools have been discovered in the Reynolds lime, and more than 75 dry holes have explored parts of this formation. By the first of 1943, 44 million barrels of oil and 83 billion cubic feet of gas had been withdrawn from the various reservoirs. The original reserves estimated by the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission were 342 million barrels of oil and rzoo billion cubic feet of gas. So far all of the production has been from anticlinal structures, most of which are asymmetric and have their axes roughly perpendicular to the dip of the formation top. This is indicated in Fig. I, which shows the pools, dry holes drilled, and contours on top of the Smackover.' These pools are of particular interest for reservoir-behavior studies because the production and drilling has been controlled, and in most cases the records of reservoir data are complete. In addition to the excellent production and pressure information available, more than one half of the wells drilled were cored and all of them were electrically logged. All of the pools show evidence of water drive. While this paper is in a sense a collection of reservoir-behavior studies for several different pools, there has been an attempt to go one step further and to show the importance of the iormation as a porous continuum or a single aquifer in which the withdrawals of fluids from any pool has an important effect on the behavior of all of the pools. An effort will be made to show that the water drives of these pools are dependent upon a much larger area of the Smackover limestone than that occupied by the petroleum accumulations.

Jan 1, 1944

By Yuting Xue, Gamal Rashed, Zoheir Khademian, Morgan Sears

Mining has been recognized among the most hazardous industries in the United States, despite the significant reduction in injury and fatality rates over the past century. This study focuses on the ground-fall incidents classified in the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) database as “fall of roof, back, or brow from in-place” and “fall of face, rib, pillar, side, or highwall.” The main objective of this study is to conduct a comprehensive statistical analysis of the reported ground-fall incidents from 2010 through 2019 including both coal and metal/non-metal mines. Since most of the ground-fall injuries and fatalities occurred in underground coal mines and were attributed to falls of roof and rib, an additional analysis was directed to evaluate roof- and rib-fall incident trends in underground coal mines associated with the mining method, coal-seam thickness, mine size, and the seasonal effects.

By A. Yañez, J. Yianatos, P. Vallejos, R. Grau

This paper presents an evaluation of the effect that the mineral feed characteristics have on the metallurgical performance in an industrial flotation circuit. Variables such as mineralogy, particle size, solid content and mineral grade were evaluated using a flotation simulator, which was previously developed and validated using industrial data from different concentrators. The metallurgical performance was evaluated not only from the point of view of recovery and concentrate grade, but also by analysing less common variables such as froth carrying rate, froth and collection recovery, water recovery and others. Then, new data from the industrial flotation circuit was used to complement this analysis and evaluate the simulator predictability by comparing simulated and measured data. The results allowed for the quantification of the significant effect that mineralogy and particle size have on recovery and/or concentrate grade. Therefore, the grinding stage and flotation cells design become important factors to avoid a significant loss in metallurgical performance when feed mineral characteristics change in an industrial operation. In this context, an evaluation of cells design and arrangement should be performed to compensate the loss in recovery and concentrate grade in order to find an optimal operating condition. Keywords: Flotation circuits, mineral feed, modelling, particle size, liberation, mineralogy

Jan 1, 2020

By L. V. Bell

"The gold deposits of the Caribou mine are representative of those of the Province of Nova Scotia as a whole. The ore shoots within the deposits, in common with those elsewhere within the Province, are associated usually with interruptions or irregularities in the broader and uniform fold structures. The structural factors localizing ore deposition as applied more specifically to the Caribou mine are demonstrated chiefly by the close relationship of the two principal ore shoots, known as the main orebody and the 'high-grade' vein, with a pitching drag fold developed in the southeast limb of the major northeast-southwest trending anticlinal fold or elongated dome that constitutes the primary structural feature of the Caribou gold district. It is of interest to note that the evidence indicates that this drag fold, in common with other folds subsidiary to the primary fold, formed as a result of movement similar in nature to that which caused the primary fold itself. Presumably, therefore, these folds are coincident in time.The property described here as the Caribou mine is an amalgamation of two adjacent properties formerly known as the Ross and the Nova Scotia Gold, but which since 1934 have been controlled and operated as a unit by The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada, Limited. The Caribou mine is situated in the Caribou gold district about 45 miles to the northeast of the city of Halifax and about 6 miles to the north of the Moose River gold district.The history of mining at Caribou dates back to 1867. The first recorded gold production is for 1869. From 1869 to 1933 the gold produced from the mines of the Caribou district aggregated 47,249 oz. from 93,234 tons of ore treated. The grade of the ore on the basis of the gold actually recovered from the district would thus average 72 oz. gold a ton, which, as will be noted from the following, is precisely the grade of the ore treated from the Caribou mine during operations by The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company. These operations commenced in September, 1934, and milling on a commercial basis was under way during 1938. Since that time production, apart from a short period in 1945 during which efforts were concentrated on development work, was continuous to early in 1947, when the mine closed down owing to exhaustion of the known orebodies. Gold produced from the Caribou mine by The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company from September, 1934, to the close of 1946 aggregated 43,205 oz. from 90,754 tons of ore milled; the grade of ore treated averaged 0.50 oz. gold a ton. The indicated average grade of O.S oz. gold a ton for the ore of the Caribou district throughout its mining history ranks somewhat higher than the 0.37 oz. a ton average for the ore milled to date from the several gold districts throughout the Province as a whole according to the production statistics of the Provincial Department of Mines."

Jan 1, 1954

By R. D. Pehlke, J. V. Gluck

A study was made of the effect of small additions of metallic solutes on the thermodynamic activity of zinc in dilute solution with molten bismuth in the range 450o to 650°C. The experimental measurements were made in a multielectrode galvanic cell using. a fused LiCl-KCl electrolyte. The activity of zinc in binary solution exhibited a strong positive deviation from Raoult's law and obeyed Henry 's law to at least 0.050 mole fraction. The ternary addition of lead, gallium, or indium increased the activity of zinc. Cadmium or tin additions slightly decreased the zinc activity. Copper, mercury, silver, or antimony caused moderate decreases, while gold strongly decreased the zinc activity. The results are expressed in terms of Wagner's interaction parameter ejZn and a second-order cross-interaction parameter. The interactions for copper, gold, silver, and antimony showed a linear dependence with reciprocal absolute temperature, while the other interactions were essentially independent of temperature over the experimental range. Since tin and antimony decreased the zinc activity, the hypothesis of a purely periodic variation with atomic number was rejected. A semiquantitative explanation was possible with a free-electron model when relative electronegativities were used to express changes in the electron/atom ratio caused by the solute addition. Random solution and quasi-chemical models correctly predicted the majority of the interactions for which binary data were available to apply them. A knowledge of the thermodynamic interactions in liquid (and solid) metallic solutions is of considerable theoretical and experimental interest in the formulation of quantitative thermodynamic relations for metallurgical processes. The approaches to defining the interactions may be either phenomenological (i.e., "What mathematical function adequately describes observed behavior and permits extrapolation to new situations?") or theoretical, such as a specific model

Jan 1, 1968

By K McSweeney, A Marton

This paper discusses the development of a strategy for ensuring long-term geotechnical stability of final pit walls at AngloGold AustraliaÆs Sunrise Dam Gold Mine. The strategy makes use of improved blasting techniques, changes to the mining sequence and other geotechnical techniques. Only the blasting techniques will be discussed in this paper. These were developed from numerous trials over a period of several months from May 2003 through to November 2003. The focus was to reduce crest loss damage and thereby improve final wall integrity, maintain designed safe berm widths, and ensure long-term stability. Crest loss mechanisms are now understood and are explained in this paper. The preferred solution is outlined; which is a combination of improved blasting and changes in the mining sequence to cater for pre-existing ground conditions. These ground conditions include dynamic hyper saline water with sometimes intersecting steeply dipping discrete structures. Project requirements were defined as mitigating or eliminating crest loss using 127 mm diameter pre-splitting and targeting minimal production blasting vibration levels against the walls. Blast results were measured by post blast visual inspections and video. Blast design input utilised the predictive algorithms built into simulation software when attempting to minimise vibration levels against the walls. Protection of the already fired pre-split line is now achieved using small charges against the wall and timing sequences which form a mask for the later firing main charges. The pre-split spacing is now modified to suit the geology. There eight blast domains identified around the perimeter of the pit, each having varying joint orientation. In addition, blasting the bench adjacent to the berm crest has particular considerations not required by the middle and lower benches. The preferred solution was to purposefully translate this damaged top section of the pre-split bench into a planned subsequent dig zone. The design of this top æweightÆ is a direct response to the nature of the crest loss mechanism.

Jan 1, 2004

By M. M. Fine

Normally the U. S. produces less than 10 pct of its annual manganese requirement. About 95 pct of domestic consumption is used by the steel industry.' The strategic and critical nature of manganese has been recognized by its inclusion in the national stockpile and by intensified research directed toward cataloging and evaluating domestic manganiferous deposits. The USBM has participated in these activities for many years with field and laboratory studies to assess the extent and potential utilization of domestic manganese ores. One area of particular interest is in the vinicity of Batesville, Ark., where deposits have been mined since 1849 for both manganese and ferruginous manganese ores. Production is centered in Independence County, but deposits are also found in Sharp, Izard, and Stone counties in north-central Arkansas. Miser has described the geology and manganese mineralization in some detail.'. * "he rocks of the area are sedimentary, consisting of sandstone, limestone, shale, and chert. The two formations of greatest importance,' Fernvale limestone and Cason shale, are host rocks of the primary manganese mineralization. Through 1955 the district produced some 230,000 long tons of manganese ore (35 pct Mn or more) and 236,000 tons of ferruginous manganese (10 to 35 pct Mn).5 Most of the ore has been mined from deposits of manganese oxides in residual clays resulting from weathering of the two formations noted above. Concentration methods have been primitive, consisting for the most part of washing. hand picking, and jigging. A significant accomplishment in the district in recent years was the USBM recognition and investigation of the huge manganese potential represented by unaltered Fernvale limestone. systematic reconnaissance of manganiferous limestone and other occurrences has been in progress since 1953 to delineate the extent and tonnage of manganiferous materials. Results of that survey have appeared in two recent publications,1-5 which ascribe to the district an inferred reserve of 166 million long dry tons at a grade of 5 to 6 pct Mn. Most of this was mancaniferous limestone with an estimated content of 5 pct Mn. Specifications: Beneficiation was carried out on a group of manganiferous limestones to develop a way to recover commercial-grade concentrate from this extensive resource. The following chemical specifications were established by the GSA for metallurgical manganese ore acceptable for delivery to the national stockpile: Size specifications were not considered, as it was assumed that the concentrates could be pelletized or sintered. Manganiferous Limestones: Of the 11 samples tested to date, six were taken by cutting vertical channels across beds of limestone outcrops. Diamond drilling through overlying barren chert into unex-posed limestone provided four samples, and the last was a churn drill sample. In general, the samples were dlrk, fossiliferous limestone containing small amounts of braunite, hausmannite, rhodochrosite, massive and micaceous iron and manganese silicates, quartz, barite, and glauconite. The braunite and other manganese oxides partly to completely replaced some of the calcite and fossil material. The calcite was generously stained with mangenese and iron oxides. Phosphorus was present in all samples as collophanite grains, calcium phosphate fossil replacements. or an unidentified manganese-bearing carbonate. The difficulty in separating this complex array of minerals was further complicated by a very intimate association. Although some manganese grains as large as Ik in. were noted, grinding to subsieve sizes would have been necessary to liberate the components. Figs. 1 and 2 are micrographs, at X100, of typical polished sections in which white areas are manganese. gray is gangue, and black areas are surface depressions. By comparison with the 100 mesh opening, it is seen that some of the grains are coarse enough to respond, perhaps to tabling or flotation, but many are obviously beyond the scope of ohysical processing. Partial chemical analyses of the eight samples that were ultimately amenable to concentration are presented in Table 1. BENEFlClATlON RESEARCH Tabling: To take advantage of the presence of sand-size grains, both jigging and tabling were considered at the outset. Jigging was largely ineffective, but tabling achieved a partial recovery from most samples. As an example, the surface material from Baxter Hill was crushed to —28 mesh, hydraulically classified, and the coarsest spigot fraction was tabled to yield a concentrate, middling. and tailing. The latter two were reground to pass 48 mesh, combined with the primary fines, re-classified, and retabled. The middling and tailing were again ground, this time to pass 150 mesh, and deslimed at 20µ in a 3-in. hydraulic cyclone. The cyclone underflow was returned to the table to reclaim a small amount of high-grade manganese. An interesting facet of the gravity concentration developed on certain samples in which braunite was the principal manganese constituent. Since braunite has a Mohs hardness of 6 to 6.5, while the host rock, limestone. is only 3, a differential size reduction took place during crushing, and the

Jan 1, 1960

By Gabriel Oliveira Glória

Em busca de materiais ecologicamente corretos, a sociedade pode optar pelas fibras naturais na substituição das sintéticas. Uma boa opção entre as fibras naturais está a fibra de PALF, mas não há informações sobre a resistência ao impacto de compósitos de epóxi incorporadas com fibras de PALF. Portanto, o objetivo deste estudo foi investigar as propriedades mecânicas em testes izod, de compósitos epoxídicos incorporados com até 30% em volume de fibras de PALF. Os resultados demonstraram que a fibra PALF aumenta a resistência ao impacto dos compósitos poliméricos.

Aug 17, 2017

By T. Könighofer

Processing of copper-cobalt orebodies in Africa?s Copper Belt has received much recent attention with various flowsheet options being developed specifically for the refining of cobalt. The upfront leach and copper refining routes are well understood whereas the refining of cobalt is more complex, requiring numerous impurity removal steps to produce high purity metal. This paper describes an investigation into one of the possible processing steps in the refining of cobalt, namely, cobalt solvent extraction. The paper emphasizes the importance of upstream impurity removal to achieve the required cobalt solvent extraction feed composition. 18% (v/v) Cyanex 272 in an aliphatic diluents is used as the organic phase. The pH profiles in the various stages are evaluated in order to obtain a raffinate containing <10mg/l cobalt and with a low magnesium content reporting to the stripping section. The pH profile is also used to minimize the impurity deportment to the cobalt electrolyte. The effect of adding a pre-neutralization stage before feeding the organic phase to the extraction circuit is investigated. Zinc build-up in the stripping stages is also looked at. It is recommended for the purpose of this study that four extraction stages at an O:A ratio of 1 with a pH profile from 4.9 to 5.7 be employed. The pH is controlled with 40g/l NaOH. A pre-neutralization stage is required, where the organic phase is contacted with 10 M NaOH. Two scrubbing stages are recommended at an O:A ratio of 40, using the cobalt electrowinning advance electrolyte as the scrub liquor. Three strip stages are to be employed at an O:A ratio of 0.67.

Jan 1, 2009

By Magnus Ericsson

The unexpectedly quick recovery in world crude steel production in the second half of 2009 was due almost entirely to increased production in China that began in late 2008. Previous peaks in monthly production in China were matched by April 2009. The rest of the world had still not reached pre-crisis production rates by May 2010. Chinese production drives growth, but there has been some growth in most other larger crude steel producing countries as well, compared to production in 2009. If the production rate of the first four months of 2010 continues, the total output of crude steel in 2010 will be somewhere around 1,410 Mt (1.5 billion st), the same as in the record year of 2007.

Jan 1, 2010

By Mario Teruo Enju

Soluções flexíveis, com baixo custo de implantação e manutenção, de sistemas de controle de processos e informação utilizando tecnologias de ponta desenvolvidas em plataforma .Net Framework. Focadas inicialmente em área Metalúrgica, onde eficiência em custos e alta confiabilidade tem relevância fundamental para sua viabilização econômica, estas soluções podem também ser aplicadas em áreas Siderúrgica, Petroquímica e demais segmentos. Integração das informações do chão de fábrica com o sistema de gestão da empresa com objetivo de facilitar a tomada de decisões estratégicas. Banco de dados relacional é o principal repositório de dados para compartilhar informações com a rede corporativa, gerenciado por uma ferramenta de software em tempo real para as lógicas de negócios e camada de apresentação. Maior performance, facilidade de operação, disponibilidade de dados, OEE, manutenção simplificada, acesso e ações remotas são viabilizados, permitindo menor custo e maior eficiência.

Jul 30, 2018

By E. P. Abrahamson II

The effect of transition element binary solid-solution additions upon the recrystallization temperature of vanadium has been investigated. Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Mo, Ru, Rh, Os, and IY lower the recrystallization temperature, while Ti, Mn, Zr, Cb, Pd, Hf, Ta, W, Re, and Pt raise it. The majority of elements have their greatest effect in less than 0.15 at. pet. Both the rate of change of recrystallization temperature with atomic percent solute and the limit of initial linearity are found to Correlate with the free atom grozdnd state outer electron configuration of the sollte element. THE work of Abrahamson and Grant1 and Abraham-son and Blakeney2 has shown that the solute&apos;s elec- tron configuration appears to be a prime determinant of both brittle-to-ductile transition and recrystallization temperature in dilute binary alloys. It has also been shown by Abrahamson3 that the limit of linearity, i.e., the limit of initial linear change of recrystallization temperature with atomic percent solute, is also a function of the electron configuration of the solute in iron base alloys. Because of the systematic nature of the solute electron configuration correlation, it is to be expected that some systematic variation might be observed upon changing the solvent. Thus, this study of recrystallization in vanadium base alloys is the first of a series aimed at defining the role played by the electron configuration of solute in determining the recrystallization characteristics of dilute transitional alloys. PROCEDURE All alloys were made using 99.8 pct V containing 0.011 C, 0.024 N, 0.08 0, 0.006 H, 0.035 Ta, and

Jan 1, 1962

Production caving started for Lift 2 at Northparkes in August 2004. In a period of less than 3 months, more than 10 000 seismic events were recorded. Events up to local magnitude +2.9 were induced near the mine during caving, with event rates of up to 500 per day. This paper documents the seismicity related to cave initiation and cave propagation during the initial production of Lift 2. The seismogenic zone of events initially moved at a rate of about 0.5 metres per day, accelerating to 2 to 3 metres per day after a few months of cave production. Seismic data analysis infers that the crown pillar between Lift 1 and Lift 2 was destressed over a vertical height of about 100 metres. As the seismogenic zone approached the crown pillar, a macroseismic episode occurred, with more than 20 events of at least local magnitude +1 occurring in a two-week period. Based on the seismicity recorded for Lift 2 at Northparkes Mines, a caving mechanics model is proposed. Comments and suggestions are made for seismic data analysis and design of seismic monitoring systems in block caving mines.

Jan 1, 2008

By Andre Zingano

An underground mine using room and pillar and retreat mining methods was developed during the 1950?s. In 2009 an open cast mine was opened in the same reserve with the objective of mining five coal seams including the one previously mined. Recently, a series of slope failures were detected at the open cast mine. The surface mine map was overlain on the underground mine map, and it was observed that the slope failures were located above a retreat mined area where the overburden had caved and the ground subsided. The deformation and displacement attributable to subsidence caused a loss of strength in the overburden strata. The objective of this paper is to study the causes of slope sliding (or failure) due to the ground subsidence of rock layers above oldmined out areas. A map was created to overlay the two mines -- the abandoned underground mine and the active surface mining. Two- and three-dimension numerical modeling was conducted to simulate the slope behavior and to verify whether the mine subsidence was the cause of slope instability. This study indicated that the subsided rock layers were the cause of slope instability and sliding.

Jan 1, 2013

By T. J. Smolik, Harman, D. W. Fuerstenau

By means of electrokinetic measurements, the surface properties of the aluminosilicate polymorphs (sillimanite, andalusite, and kyanite) and also mullite have been found to depend on the ratio of A10 bonds to SiO bonds in the surface. The Al-toSi ratio in the surface is dependent upon the crystal lographic properties of the mineral, which in turn determine coordination numbers of A1 and of Si, cleavage characteristics, and density of the various solids. Mullite with a greater bulk Al-toSi ratio has the highest zpc of the aluminosilicates. By treatment in dilute acids or by cycling between acidic and basic solutions, alumina is selectively dissolved from the surface of these orthosilicates. This shifts the apparent zpc to lower pH values as the fraction of SiO groups in the surface increases. Thus, surface properties can be altered by procedures that alter the A l-to-Si ratio in the surface. Flotation of these aluminosilicates results from electrostatic interaction of the collector ions with the mineral surfaces. As a result, flotation response shifts in accord with any shift in apparent zpc by pretreatment. Separation of minerals by flotation is based on differences in the physicochemical properties of their surfaces.&apos;-3 For many minerals, adsorption of flotation collectors results from their functioning as counter ions in the electrical double layer at solid-water interface. In such systems, separation depends on differences in the zero point of charge (zpc) of the various minerals. The zpc is defined as the concentration of potential determining ions in solution at which the surface is uncharged. The potential determining ions for inorganic oxide-water interfaces are hydrogen and hydroxyl.4,5 This work is concerned with the effects of crystal structure, composition, and surface preparation on the surface properties and flotation behavior of aluminosilicates. Differences resulting from crystal structure were studied by measuring electrokinetic potentials and determining the flotation behavior of three different aluminosilicate materials having the same chemical composition (Al2O3 SiO2), namely andalusite, kyanite, and sillimanite. Furthermore, the effect of the Al2O3-to-SiO2 ratio on flotation behavior and surface properties was investigated by including synthetic mullite, 3A12O3 .2SiO2. Gaudin and co-workers 6,7 have clearly shown how crystal structure determines the native floatability of certain minerals. Those solids in which the surface is comprised mainly of broken residual bonds possess naturally hydrophobic surfaces. It was found by Bakakin8 that for a number of oxidized lead minerals, differences in floatability were due to the distance of Pb atom from the surface. Only limited work has been done on relating electrical properties of surfaces to crystal structure and composition. Healy et. a1.9 found that the zero points of charge of various manganese dioxides ranged from about pH 1.5 to pH 7.5, and these differences in the zpc&apos;s were interpreted in terms of the atomic packing in the various crystals. The research presented here clearly shows that crystal structure and chemical composition do affect the surface properties of aluminosilicates and, in addition, that these effects can be altered by changing conditions under which the surfaces are prepared. CRYSTAL STRUCTURE OF THE ALUMINOSILICATES Sillimanite, andalusite, and kyanite are composed of regionally metamorphosed rocks differing mainly in degree of metamorphism. All three minerals have the same chemical composition, Al2O3 - SiO2, of which sillimanite is the high temperature polymorph and kyanite and andalusite the lower temperature polymorphs. Andalusite and sillimanite crystallize in the orthorhombic system while kyanite crystallizes in the triclinic system. The structure of these three minerals is essentially chains of aluminum-oxygen octahedra linked laterally by silicon and aluminum. The arrangement of these chains in the three minerals is shown in Fig. 1.l4

Jan 1, 1967

By R. R. Fernández

Newmont Mining Corporation has been processing refractory gold ores by roasting since January 1995. The ores are refractory due to the association of the gold with iron sulfides, namely pyrite and marcasite, and the presence of carbonaceous components and is oxidized in an oxygen-enriched gaseous atmosphere. The structural characteristics of the calcine have a strong influence on the eventual recovery of gold by cyanidation. These characteristics are strongly dependent upon the roasting conditions, mainly the roasting temperature. Originally, the sulfides and carbonaceous matter were oxidized at a temperature that typically ranged between 535 and 560 °C. Controlling the roasting temperature within the lower and narrower range of 510 to 515 °C produced a calcine with a larger surface area(e.g. higher porosity), which resulted in a gold recovery increase of3.3 percent in 2001 equivalent to 5.1 million dollars of additional gross revenue. The new strategies of operating at temperatures never tested before are discussed. It constituted a great challenge to the control room operators for the lower operating temperature falls much closer to the ignition temperature of the sulfide ore and smaller and more frequent adjustments in operating parameters were needed to improve and maintain high gold recoveries. Based on the encouraging results that were achieved in 2001, a decision was made to install a “smart” process control system because the roaster temperature control was performed by manual inputs from the control room operators. The development and implementation of the control system to reduce or eliminate the temperature variability between the different control room operators commenced in June of 2002 and was fully operational by the end of October. Lower roaster temperatures were achieved (500 to 505 °C), which resulted in further increase of gold recovery by about two percent. The overall recovery increase equated to 8.0 million dollars of additional revenue for the first 10 months of 2002.

Jan 1, 2003

By Günther Staudinge

Aperam is a global player in producing of stainless, electrical and special steel qualities. The steelmaking plant in Timoteo Brasil is equipped with one AODconverter for stainless steel and one MRPL-converter for special steel production. After almost 20 years of operation Aperam decided to exchange the existing 80 t MRP-L converter by a new one including a new trunnion ring and a state of the art suspension system. Due to an optimized design the inner volume of the new converter could be increased which comes along with improved production. A special feature is a flange connection in the barrel section of the converter. This allowed to avoid any critical site welding and the time between shut down of the old and cold commissioning of the new converter could be done with 17 days only.

Aug 17, 2017